Alcohol-based skin disinfectants, because of their high vapor pressure, evaporate quickly. Thus, when they are applied to skin, alcohol concentration and contact time with bacteria and other microorganisms are minimized due to evaporative loss. The inventor has discovered a method of decreasing evaporation of alcohol skin disinfectants comprising adding alcohol-soluble viscosifying agents to these disinfectants, thereby increasing the exposure time and alcohol concentration of the disinfectant on the skin.
Alcohol solutions containing 30-90%, by weight, alcohol are often used by healthcare personnel to disinfect hands and for localized skin disinfection at the site of an invasive medical procedure. These alcohol compositions are very drying to the skin, evaporate quickly, and are easily spilled due to their watery nature. These shortcomings are overcome by the instantly claimed method and compositions.